Little Fatty turned back completely, sat down on the sofa, and asked, "Could you tell me more in detail, Uncle? When did you go there?"
When the news reached the financial segment, Jiang Yu saw Lu Yiyi's face again and raised his hand to change the channel.
The news report had been replaced by an advertisement. He sat up slightly, still holding the goose, and said, "I went there a few years ago, before Chen Jing came here."
Chen Jing looked over.
This person rarely talks about the past, especially things that happened before he arrived.
"Don't let your uncle's appearance fool you, he used to be quite wealthy. He even made a small trip around the world," Jiang Yujin said, holding his goose. "The vanished city was called Atsha, but it was actually a country."
Atsa is an island nation in the South Pacific, located in the middle of the sea. It is not large, so it was previously more commonly referred to as a city.
Atsha is small, but its economy is very developed. To increase the building area, the island is full of high-rise buildings, making it more modern than modern cities.
He stayed there for a day and left in the early hours of the morning. He only heard later, while he was in other places, that Atsha was gone.
He hadn't gone too far at the time, so he heard the news.
Atsha disappeared, along with the entire island. It was only in the morning that people living on the mainland noticed the sea was different from usual, something was wrong. After the storm subsided, they sailed to the waters near Atsha and discovered it.
The ship's coordinates indicated that they had reached the vicinity of an island, but they did not see any island with tall buildings.
The people on board initially thought that the positioning system was being interfered with, but after checking all the faults, they came to a conclusion that sounded very bizarre.
Atsha has disappeared.
They didn't quite believe their own conclusion, thinking they had encountered some unscientific force, and felt inexplicably afraid, so they quickly left the place.
Further investigation finally led to the conclusion that Atsha had indeed vanished. There were no island remains on the surface of the sea, nor any traces in the depths of the ocean. Atsha had not disintegrated in the waves, nor had it sunk to the bottom; it had truly disappeared.
This contradicted science, and at the time, it coincided with an alien invasion and a series of unusual phenomena. They attributed it to an unknown effect brought about by the "game." A nation vanished overnight. To avoid causing widespread panic, the coalition ultimately decided to suppress the news, strictly prohibiting any online or offline media from reporting on it, and blocking all information, forbidding anyone from spreading the story online.
Until the news was suppressed, only people on the coast knew about it. Under this swift crackdown, the news was quickly suppressed, and an event that should have caused a major uproar was sealed away in the archives. Atsha's name quietly disappeared from the national directory, and only those who actually experienced it knew what had happened.
At that time, there was war in some places, and many small countries rose and disappeared. The disappearance of an unknown country did not attract much attention.
As Jiang Yujin spoke, he took a sip of water.
While he was drinking water, Xiao Pang quickly picked up his phone to search for the country directory, both current and from a few years ago.
Looking at the countries listed alphabetically, Atsha is not currently listed, but compared to the list from a few years ago, it is clearly listed near the bottom.
However, when searching for Atsha, the search engine indicated that there was no relevant information.
Little Fatty looked up and said, "Uncle, do you still remember the exact location?"
"You're putting me in a difficult position," Jiang Yujin said, rubbing his hair. "I went to so many places back then, I can't even list them all now."
He asked, "Why are you asking these questions?"
Little Fatty glanced at Chen Jing without realizing it, but Chen Jing looked back at him expressionlessly.
"That's right," Little Fatty said. "We were doing a research assignment and chose to study disappearing cities for various reasons."
Jiang Yujin raised an eyebrow slightly: "So it turns out that survey assignments can be done across schools."
Little Fatty nodded reluctantly, "Yes, that's right."
The investigation progressed by a strange leap, and he left with a brain that had finally acquired some knowledge and a backpack full of books.
Watching the high school student see Xiao Pang off, then watching him return, and then waving at him as the door closed again.
The high school student noticed his empty water glass on the desk and asked, "Want some water?"
My son immediately refilled his water bottle, his movements practiced and smooth.
Holding the newly filled water glass in his hand, Jiang Yujin rarely reflected on his usual behavior.
But his reflection lasted only a few seconds. He then looked up, took a sip of water, and casually asked, "You said you wanted another person to take care of you?"
Chen Jing looked up: "?"
"..."
Jiang Yujin glanced at the room the high school student had cleaned, the kitchen the high school student had tidied, the food the high school student had made on the table, and the water the high school student had poured for him. He was silent for a moment, then changed his words: "Do you want someone to share the housework?"
As long as this person hasn't advanced to an even more serious level of incompetence, Chen Jing feels he can manage.
Chen Jing asked him, "What do you want to say?"
"It's nothing," Jiang Yujin said, shifting his gaze. "I happen to have a friend who loves cleaning."
He didn't continue, and the high school student didn't ask any more questions. The matter of the friend who loved cleaning was left unresolved.
In the evening, the high school student made dinner and then went out, saying that he and Xiao Pang were going to visit Zhang Xin, who was still in the hospital.
"Wait a minute," the adult man, who had finished eating and was about to watch TV, stretched out Er Kang's hand and said, "When visiting someone, you should bring something. Wait for me a moment."
They used to go to the hospital every day, and given their relationship, they didn't need to bring anything. However, Chen Jing saw that the other person had already gone into the house and started rummaging through drawers and cabinets, so he didn't say anything and stood there quietly waiting.
Jiang Yujin rummaged through everything and found only a small box, a dark blue velvet box, inside which was a bracelet strung with small seashells.
He tossed the box to the high school student and said, "This is quite nice; the girl should like it."
It didn't look like an expensive gift, but Chen Jing accepted it.
Jiang Yujin stood at the door watching the high school students leave with their gifts, waving goodbye with a smile.
Chen Jing did go to the hospital.
He met up with Little Fatty at the hospital entrance, and then they went into the inpatient department together.
Zhang Xin has been transferred to a regular ward, but her parents, worried that she might not be used to the presence of other patients, arranged for her to have a private room.
When they arrived, the elderly couple were still there. After exchanging greetings, the two of them went out to eat, leaving the space for their friends to chat.
Compared to when she was first brought out of Duolan Mountain, Zhang Xin's complexion had improved a lot. When they entered the ward, she was still sipping chicken soup.
Xiao Pang put down the fruit he was carrying, first briefly recounting the progress of the investigation this morning, and then said, "I checked other websites this afternoon, but there was no news about Atsha. We might need to go to Southeast Asia to ask the locals."
The news was blocked quickly and with great force, making it extremely difficult to obtain information over the internet. To find out the location of the missing city, one had to go there in person.
The room became quiet for a moment.
They all understood what this meant. Unlike going to other cities, this trip to Southeast Asia would require several times more time and effort. Even if they found the vanished city and reached Zero's headquarters, they might not be able to return intact as before.
When they don't know who the other person is, they need to be prepared for the possibility that they might not be able to come back.
Chen Jing had prepared himself from the beginning not to return; the important things were Xiao Pang and Zhang Xin.
They also have parents and are the only children in their families.
"...I have to go."
Zhang Xin put down her bowl of chicken soup and said, "My dad encountered a strange creature a few days ago."
When the other person came in, they were limping and had abrasions on their face. When asked, they only said they had fallen. But when she went to the corridor to get some fresh air later, she heard some patients saying that an alien species had just appeared on the streets near the hospital, and even though it was dealt with in time, some people were still injured.
That street was the one her father would always pass through on his way to the hospital from work.
The alien species isn't far from their families; even if they escape this time, there might be a next time. If the problem isn't addressed at its root, they'll live in constant fear.
Little Fatty nodded quietly, wiped his face, and looked up, saying, "There's a short holiday after the mock exams the week after next. We'll leave then and sort out the visa issues before then."
No one objected, and the matter was settled.
Before leaving, Chen Jing handed the bracelet that Jiang Yujin had brought to Zhang Xin.
A simple little gift, but the thought that counts. Zhang Xin smiled, put on the bracelet, and said, "Thank you."
They're still smiling now, but when they go to apply for visas together in a few days, they won't be smiling at all.
Visas can be obtained, but if you are flying to Southeast Asia, you need a guardian's signature to accompany you.
This is a special rule introduced under special circumstances for minors who have left the game. When the staff informed them, they could only smile helplessly.
The three people and their parents were present. Xiao Pang and Zhang Xin's parents were usually easygoing, but they were not easily fooled in this kind of situation. Both of them looked at Chen Jing at the same time.
Of the three sets of parents, the easiest to fool is his adult male guardian.
Chen Jing: "..."
So the three of them arrived at the office building. When they went upstairs, Zhang Xin and Xiao Pang tried their best to wear the most polite and well-behaved smiles.
When they entered the house, the people inside were unusually not watching TV or playing Candy Crush; they were on the phone.
Noticing the commotion at the gate, Jiang Yujin turned around, waved with a smile, then looked back and said, "...Just keep doing this, it's fine."
"Salary card?"
"My son and his friends are back. I'll talk about the pay card in more detail next time."
After hanging up the phone, Jiang Yujin noticed that the three high school students didn't enter the room as usual, but instead walked towards him. He put down his phone and asked, "Is there something you need?"
"Uncle...no, brother, you look so handsome today!"
Little Fatty was the first to say something insincere to the listless adult lying on the sofa, launching a praising attack.
Zhang Xin nodded along, unsure of what to say, so she complimented the other person on how neatly the shirt buttons were fastened.
The two of them talked back and forth, while Chen Jing stood to the side, eventually looking away.
As the two high school students talked, they sat down on the sofa on their own initiative. Finally, the chubby boy who started the conversation ended it by saying, "Brother, when we have a short holiday, we want to go to Southeast Asia. We also need to finish our research assignment there."
He rubbed his hands together like a fly and said, "I was wondering if you could come with us for a few days if you have some free time."
The determined adult man lost himself amidst the praise and nodded, "Okay."
Chen Jing couldn't bear to look at it.
The person on the sofa readily agreed; the high school students had never felt that this person's figure was so imposing as they had today.
The imposing figure pushed the fruit platter on the table toward the high school students and said, "Eat fruit."
Chen Jing's eyes twitched slightly; he hadn't expected this person to be willing to personally go out to buy fruit.
As if guessing what he was thinking, Jiang Yujin said, "A friend of mine was passing by on his way to work and brought it along."
Although they didn't quite understand what kind of job required passing through this old street, the high school students nodded in agreement.
The fruit was fresh, neatly arranged, and very sweet; it was all the kind of fruit this person liked.
Little Fatty said, "Uncle, your friend is pretty good."
He changed his form of address back to his original one.
Jiang Yujin smiled, poked a piece of fruit, and opened the Candy Crush game.
After having dinner together that evening, the high school students left. Chen Jing saw the two of them off to the station, and Jiang Yujin followed them downstairs to the barbershop.
It was already closing time, and the lights in the shop were off, except for the lights in the break area. He slipped into the break area with practiced ease, greeted the barber shop owner who was cooking, and seemed quite polite.
The barbershop owner, who least wanted to see this person at mealtimes, immediately frowned: "Didn't your son feed you tonight?"
Jiang Yujin smiled and said, "How could that be?"
He came here simply to digest his food after the meal, chat to pass the time, and casually mentioned that he would be going to Southeast Asia soon.
The barber shop owner glanced at him and said, "You're such a useless person that you need someone to bring you fruit, yet you're willing to accompany a few high school students to such a faraway place?"
"That's rude." Jiang Yujin glared at him, then said, "It's normal for kids to be curious, and parents should satisfy that."
Only he can go. The place those high school students went to is getting increasingly dangerous, and it will take some effort to bring them back safely.
The barber shop owner finally looked away and casually remarked, "Shi Bu is on a business trip in Southeast Asia."
The person who was smiling suddenly twitched at the corner of their eye.
The barber shop owner chuckled.
The day before they were to depart for Southeast Asia, several high school students took a mock exam at school. The only sounds in the quiet classroom were the scratching of pens on paper and the turning of papers. Sunlight streamed into the classroom, and the chirping of cicadas was kept out of the windows.
Jiang Yujin went to Huayang Community on Huayang Road, the place where he used to live. He had arranged to come over today with Xu Damangren.
Xu Tonggui had already arrived at the residential area and was standing at the entrance waiting. He was tall and had long legs, so he could be seen at a glance.
He was off today and wasn't wearing his usual uniform. Instead, he wore a casual white shirt with a small dog's head embroidered on the chest.
It was the outfit he had bought. Jiang Yujin looked it up and down a few times, quite satisfied. His boss patted him on the shoulder and praised, "Very good, very... handsome."
The two entered the residential complex together and went to their familiar floor.
"Beep—Fingerprint recognition successful."
A familiar sound rang out, and the door opened. After standing at the door for a moment, Jiang Yujin said, "Next time, remember to bring your son along and register his fingerprints too."
Xu Tonggui nodded: "Mm."
The door closed behind them, and the two of them went inside together.
The interior remains the same as before, with dust covers on the furniture and the doors and windows tightly closed.
Xu Tonggui opened the doors and windows to ventilate the room, and Jiang Yujin sat on the sofa, taking out the blueprints with a serious expression.
He's here today to redesign the layout of the house.
After some consideration, he felt it was a waste to leave a house unused, so he decided to tidy it up and turn it into a home 2.0, essentially a backup version.
He felt a little strange sitting up straight, so he wanted to lean back. Xu Tonggui, who was standing to the side, glanced at him and sat down behind him, acting as a human backrest.
Jiang Yu snuggled comfortably against the wall, twirled the pen in his hand, pointed to the master bedroom, and said, "Let's sleep here."
Xu Tonggui had no objection.
Planner Jiang then pointed to the secondary bedroom, which was separated from the master bedroom by one room, and said, "Our son will sleep here."
Xu Tonggui asked why there was a separate room.
Jiang Yujin glanced at him, indicating no objection: "If you can bear it, it's fine for him to sleep here."
Xu Tonggui suggested that the eldest son's room should be arranged at the other end of the house, the room furthest from the master bedroom.
Jiang Yu slapped away his suggestion and arranged for his eldest son's room to be in the place originally agreed upon.
The study was just for show for both of them, but high school students would definitely need it when they went to college. Even though they might not come back often, he still decided to give the study to his eldest son.
Xu Tonggui had no objection and once again suggested arranging Hao Da'er in the farthest room.
His light gray pupils remained as they always were, his expression serious, his brows and eyes calm and sharp, as if he were talking about something serious.
Jiang Yujin patted his face: "Rejected."
Without retracting his hand from slapping his face, he pointed to an empty corner of the living room and said, "We'll put a cabinet there to store photos and our son's certificates of merit."
At this point, the Jiangda planner patted Xu's hand earnestly and said, "Comrade Xu, remember to maintain a good relationship with Hao Da'er."
Xu Tonggui lowered his eyes, his hands, covered in thin calluses, tightened slightly, easily grasping the other person's hand until their fingers were intertwined.
Jiang Yujin was still holding a ballpoint pen in his other hand. Even though it was held, he didn't struggle. Instead, he turned his hand over and casually drew a scribbled little dog on the back of the other person's hand.
Xu Tonggui remained motionless, watching with his eyes down, letting him paint.
After finishing drawing the puppy, Mr. Jiang, who had been busy for more than ten minutes, finally ended his day's work, put down his ballpoint pen, and slowly yawned.
Xu Tonggui, who had barely rested for half a day, was called away for work again. He probably has some special ability; whenever he's on vacation, something always happens, and it's always an urgent matter.
Jiang Yujin felt immense sympathy for this person who couldn't even have a proper day off, and opened the Candy Crush game in his hand: "Remember to use your stamina when you're at work."
Xu Tong went to the Special Investigation Bureau and changed into his combat uniform before getting into the car.
Xu Gao, who had quietly switched from combat personnel to logistics personnel, was also on the vehicle. He was terrified of this taciturn man and felt that he had become more frightening than before a few days ago, as if he could crush two of him with a single hand.
Xu Gao swore he had intended to remain silent the whole way, but his mistake was that he accidentally caught a glimpse of the hands that hadn't yet been put on combat gloves.
On the back of his large, bulging hand with prominent veins, a hastily drawn little animal stands out.
Xu Gao made a mocking sound: "Hehe, Captain Xu, the cat you're holding is so ugly."
The other passengers on the bus all lowered their gazes.